Arthroscopy is a surgical procedure orthopaedic surgeons use to visualize, diagnose, and treat problems inside a joint using a tube-like viewing instrument called an arthroscope. The word arthroscopy comes from two Greek words, “arthro” (joint) and “skopein” (to look). The term literally means “to look within the joint.”
In an arthroscopic examination, an orthopaedic surgeon makes a small incision in the patient’s skin and then inserts pencil-sized instruments that contain a small lens and lighting system to magnify and illuminate the structures inside the joint. Light is transmitted through fiber optics to the end of the arthroscope that is inserted into the joint. By attaching the arthroscope to a miniature television camera, the surgeon is able to see the interior of the joint through this very small incision rather than a large incision needed for surgery. The surgeon can determine the amount or type of injury and then repair or correct the problem, if it is necessary.
Here are parts of the shoulder joint as seen through an arthroscope: the rotator cuff (RC), the head fo the humerus (HH), and the biceps tendon (B).

Diagnosing joint injuries and disease begins with a thorough medical history, physical examination, and usually X-rays. Additional tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) also scan may be needed.
Through the arthroscope, a final diagnosis is made, which may be more accurate than through “open” surgery or from X-ray studies.
Disease and injuries can damage bones, cartilage, ligaments, muscles, and tendons. Some of the most frequent conditions found during arthroscopic examinations of joints are:
Inflammation
For example, synovitis is an inflammation of the lining in the knee, shoulder, elbow, wrist, or ankle.

• Shoulder: Rotator cuff tendon tears, impingement syndrome, and recurrent dislocations
• Knee: Meniscal (cartilage) tears, chondromalacia (wearing or injury of cartilage cushion), and anterior cruciate ligament tears with instability
• Ankle: Impingement
• Loose bodies of bone and/or cartilage: for example, knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle, or wrist

• Rotator cuff surgery
• Repair or resection of torn cartilage (meniscus) from knee or shoulder
• Reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament in knee
• Removal of inflamed lining (synovium) in knee, shoulder, elbow, wrist, ankle
• Release of carpal tunnel
• Repair of torn ligaments
• Removal of loose bone or cartilage in knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle, wrist.

Arthroscopic surgery, although much easier in terms of recovery than “open” surgery, still requires the use of anesthetics and the special equipment in a hospital operating room or outpatient surgical suite. You will be given a general, spinal, or a local anesthetic, depending on the joint or suspected problem.
A small incision (about the size of a buttonhole) will be made to insert the arthroscope. Several other incisions may be made to see other parts of the joint or insert other instruments.
When indicated, corrective surgery is performed with specially designed instruments that are inserted into the joint through accessory incisions.
The surgeon inserts miniature scissors to trim a torn meniscus.

Arthroscopy can be helpful in the diagnosis and treatment of many noninflammatory, inflammatory, and infectious types of arthritis as well as various injuries within the joint. Noninflammatory degenerative arthritis, orosteoarthritis, can be seen using the arthroscope as frayed and irregular cartilage. Recently, for isolated cartilage wear in younger patients, repair of crevasses in the cartilage, using a “paste” of a patient’s own cartilage cells harvested and grown in the laboratory, has been performed using an arthroscope.
The tissue lining the joint (synovium) can be biopsied and examined under a microscope to determine the cause of the inflammation and discover infections, such as tuberculosis. Arthroscopy can provide more information in situations which cannot be diagnosed by simply aspirating (withdrawing fluid with a needle) and analyzing the joint fluid.
Common joint injuries for which arthroscopy is considered include cartilage tears (meniscus tears), ligament strains and tears, and cartilage deterioration underneath the kneecap (patella). Arthroscopy is commonly used in the evaluation of knees and shoulders but can also be used to examine and treat conditions of the wrist, ankles, and elbows.
Finally, loose tissues, such as chips of bone or cartilage, or foreign objects, such as plant thorns, that become lodged within the joint can be removed with arthroscopy.
For instance, most meniscal tears in the knee can be treated successfully with arthroscopic surgery.
After arthroscopic surgery, the small incisions will be covered with a dressing. You will be moved from the operating room to a recovery room. Many patients need little or no pain medications.
The amount of surgery required and recovery time will depend on the complexity of your problem. Occasionally, during arthroscopy, the surgeon may discover that the injury or disease cannot be treated adequately with arthroscopy alone. The extensive “open” surgery may be performed while you are still anesthetized, or at a later date after you have discussed the findings with your surgeon.

Arthroscopy is most often performed as an inpatient procedure. The patient will check into the facility where the procedure is being performed and an intravenous line (IV) established in order to administer fluids and medication. The type of anesthesia used varies depending on the joint being examined and the medical health of the patient. Arthroscopy can be performed under a general anesthetic, a spinal or epidural anesthetic, a regional block (where only the extremity being examined is numbed), or even a local anesthetic. After adequate anesthesia is achieved, the procedure can begin. An incision is made on the side of the joint to be examined and the arthroscope is inserted into the incision. Other instruments are sometimes placed in another incision to help maneuver certain structures into the view of the arthroscope. In arthroscopic surgery, additional instruments for surgical repairs are inserted into the joint through the arthroscope. These instruments can be used to cut, remove, and sew damaged tissues. Once the procedure is completed, the arthroscope in removed and the incisions are sutured (sewn) closed. A sterile dressing is placed over the incision and a brace or ACE wrap may be placed around the joint.

Although uncommon, complications do occur occasionally during or following arthroscopy. Infection, phlebitis (blood clots of a vein), excessive swelling or bleeding, damage to blood vessels or nerves, and instrument breakage are the most common complications, but occur in far less than 1 percent of all arthroscopic procedures.

Although arthroscopic surgery has received a lot of public attention because it is used to treat well-known athletes, it is an extremely valuable tool for all orthopaedic patients and is generally easier on the patient than “open” surgery. Most patients have their arthroscopic surgery as inpatients and are home several hours after the surgery.

The small puncture wounds take several days to heal. The operative dressing can usually be removed the morning after surgery and adhesive strips can be applied to cover the small healing incisions.
Although the puncture wounds are small and pain in the joint that underwent arthroscopy is minimal, it takes several weeks for the joint to maximally recover. A specific activity and rehabilitation program may be suggested to speed your recover and protect future joint function.
It is not unusual for patients to go back to work or school or resume daily activities within a few days. Athletes and others who are in good physical condition may in some cases return to athletic activities within a few weeks. Remember, though, that people who have arthroscopy can have many different diagnoses and preexisting conditions, so each patient’s arthroscopic surgery is unique to that person. Recovery time will reflect that individuality.